Justin Rose thinks Jon Rahm should pay the fines owed to the DP World Tour to allow him to continue his Ryder Cup career.
In February, the DP World Tour announced that it had given eight players conditional releases, allowing them to compete in conflicting tournaments on LIV Golf during the 2026 season. However, Rahm’s name wasn’t among them.
The Spaniard has never relinquished his DP World Tour membership, but that alone isn’t enough to save his Ryder Cup career, with the fines imposed for LIV Golf participation also needing to be paid.
The stipulations allowing the agreement to be struck with the eight other LIV Golfers included payment of all outstanding fines for breaches of the DP World Tour’s regulations, but as things stand, Rahm’s remain outstanding.
He has appealed the fines, which allowed him to play in last year’s Bethpage Black match alongside Rose, but it is expected he will lose it whenever it is finally heard.
It’s a situation that threatens not just Rahm’s participation in the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor but future editions, too, although Rose believes paying the fines is the first step to resolving the impasse.
Speaking to the media before The Players Championship, Rose said: “Yeah, listen, I would like to see Jon - how many guys, eight? The other seven did it. So obviously eight did it and Jon didn't.
“So I mean, there's pretty decent precedent that the deal wasn't outrageous that they were proposing.
"But at the same time, I would like to see Jon pay his fines for sure and be a part of the Ryder Cup.”
Rose also believes that Rahm should see it as a business transaction. He added: “For me, obviously playing on LIV was a decision that he made and wanted to make, and fair play to him for making it and good for him.
“He's playing good golf out there. He's winning. He's making a lot of money, and he's - you know, you can't argue, can't knock what he's been able to achieve out there. So I would just see it as a cost of doing business for Jon.”
Before LIV Golf Hong Kong, Rahm explained his reasons for rejecting the deal, saying: "They're asking me to play a minimum of six events, and they dictate where two of those have to be, amongst other things that I don't agree with.”
He added: “I think we should be able to freely play where we want and have the choice to play where we want and not be dictated what we do.”
Rahm also said that if the DP World Tour would lower the minimum requirement from six events to four he would "sign tonight."
That’s an area where Rose has some sympathy for Rahm. He added: “Like for me, being in the Ryder Cup is more than about money. What I would say, where he may have a point is the tour making him play extra events. Maybe he has a point there.”
Ultimately, Rose is hoping that can be ironed out, although he reiterated that first of all, Rahm needs to pay the fines.
He said: “So maybe there's some middle ground where he would do his best to support the Tour as and when, but not necessarily have that hung over his head, but paying his fines is obviously step number one.”
Rose's views mirror Rahm's fellow Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy, who said before the Arnold Palmer Invitational: "Look, there's a reason eight of the nine guys took that deal, right. I think it's a really good deal. Obviously Jon doesn't think so, and he's obviously well within his rights to think that way."
